Sleepover
by limpet666
Summary: With the law closing in again, Face finds himself at the VA to take refuge with Murdock for the night. F/M Slash


Author's notes: This was very loosely inspired by the Fratelli's song 'Creeping up the back stairs'. Inspired insofar that the idea shot into my head when I listened to it, and wouldn't leave until I'd written it down. It was written in one night (about 4 hours) and then reread and edited the next day.

* * *

The first rattle at the window didn't wake Murdock up, but the second, louder rattle, followed by a conspicuous 'psst!' slowly brought him around. By the time he actually sat up to investigate the noise, the movement by his window immediately drew his attention, and he looked over in time to see Face climb in the frame. The conman was doing his utmost to stay quiet as he manoeuvred the wire mesh back in place and closed the window.

"Faceman!" Murdock greeted brightly, but his usual enthusiasm was dampened from still being half-asleep, and he ignored Face's 'Ssssh!'. He pushed the covers back and swung his legs over to sit on the edge of the bed, "We got another client already?" He ran a hand over his face and back though his sleep-mussed hair, not even managing to feign getting it to lie flat.

"Not exactly." The conman murmured, checking around out of the window anxiously as though making sure he hadn't been followed before stepping away and further into the room. Murdock blinked at the state he was in; his clothes were rumpled and dirty, his hair was all over the place and he had the weary look of a man who had been marching all day.

"What happened to you, Faceman?" Murdock asked as he got up, voice dropping as Face hushed him urgently again, "You look like you lost of a fight with a mean ol' hedge."

"Decker damn near caught us again." Face explained as he walked further into the room, starting to pace up and down restlessly, "Had us cornered in a warehouse, we barely got away by the skin of our teeth." His voice was a harsh whisper, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, "We decided to split up, we're going to rendezvous tomorrow, if Decker hasn't caught any of us by then." The last was spat angrily.

"So you decided to hide out here?" Murdock asked dubiously, "Not that I don't want the company! It gets awful lonely sometimes y'know, with just Billy and the little people and the ghosts. And Billy's not been looking too good lately, he's-"

"It's the last place he's going to look." Face cut in, hardly listening to what the pilot had been saying. He finally looked like he was calming down, and stopped pacing, leaning back against a wall and turning his face up, eyes close. He exhaled heavily, "He's come to see you before, he doesn't think you know anything. And even if he does come here, he wont do it right away, he'll figure we'll trying to get out of the city."

"It was a real close shave, huh?" It wasn't often Murdock had seen Face looking so shaken, although splitting up may have had something to do with it. With Hannibal and BA there, it was hard not to feel invincible, no matter how bad the odds, but being a fugitive on your own…doubts and worries started to eat away at resolve.

Face nodded, with a grim expression, "You should have seen it; we only got away because they hesitated too long to cuff us. Although cant say I blame them, I'd have hesitated too if BA was giving me the look he was giving them." he added with a small laugh, shoulders finally relaxing. He looked over at Murdock's 'pfft'.

"Ah, he's a big teddy bear really." He waved a hand dismissively, "He wouldn't-"

"Murdock? Who are you talking to in there?" Both men stiffened at the voice of the nurse outside in the hall that sounded far too close for comfort. They shared a look before Face hissed, "In the bed!"

Murdock hastened to get back in the bed under the covers, lying on his side with his back to the door. Face was in there with him seconds later and the pilot threw the covers over the other man before trying to feign sleep as the key turned in the lock to his room. Face was curled up as small as he could get pressed flush against Murdock, forehead against the other man's chest so he could hear his heartbeat through the thin vest. The sound of the nurse's shoes echoed in the room as she came in.

"Murdock?" She asked suspiciously, and Murdock swore he could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head. He tried not to jerk at the prod Face gave him, although he caught on and immediately mumbled something unintelligible before saying quite clearly, "Of course we didn't fly BA, you can trust me." Followed by more mumblings before he pretended to be asleep again. It had to be convincing, because if she decided to actually walk around the bed to see his face, it would be obvious that there was one too many lumps under the covers.

Fortunately she seemed placated by Murdock's 'sleep talking' and turned to leave after a small laugh.

Both men remained still long after the lock had turned and her footsteps had retreated, making sure she really had gone. Eventually Face let out a groan and rolled onto his back, barely missing falling right off the side of the small bed.

"Another close call." he complained, rubbing at his eyes before dropping his hand and looking at Murdock, who had remained on his side but propped his head up on his hand, grinning like it was all great fun.

"She certainly was nosey. It's not like she knew what I was doing, I could have been entertaining company, and it was obviously presumptuous of her to assume she would have been invited. Some people are very sensitive, you know? She could have ruined-" He was getting progressively more excited and loud, and Face quickly put a hand over his mouth and hushed him.

"How about we just try and get some sleep, hmm?" He suggested as he slowly pulled his hand away and sat up.

"Aww, but Faceman, I'm not tired now." Murdock complained like a child, and watched with big eyes as Face started undressing. The conman sighed at the state of his jacket as he hung it on the back of a chair and started undoing the waistcoat he'd worn over the shirt.

"Well I am." Came the reply, "I've been on the run since before lunch." He folded the waistcoat, then loosened his tie before unbuttoning his shirt. If he felt Murdock's eyes on his he didn't say anything, even though the pilot was making no attempt to hide the face he was staring.

"But Face, it's been such a long long time since I ever had a sleepover." He said hopefully, but Face all but ignored him. Instead, the conman went to the chest of drawers that held Murdock's clothes and invited himself to look through them.

"Hey! That's my stuff, I'll have you know!" The pilot huffed as Face just waved him off, coming out with a spare fair of pyjama bottoms and a vest before going to the bathroom to change. Murdock watched him go with a petulant expression, but when he didn't come back right away he started shifting in the bed, regarding the space they had to work with. They had shared a bed before when space had been limited, but it had always been at least a double, and there had always been enough covers and cushions to work with. Now they only had a single, and a small one at that, and one pillow.

When Face finally came back he had changed into the pyjama's and was trying to straighten his hair with his fingers. Murdock knew that Face usually just slept in his underwear, so he guessed that the conman had also recognised that the situation was already going to be awkward enough without him being practically naked.

But it wasn't like either of them was going to volunteer to sleep on the floor.

Face set the rest of his clothes near his jacket before going over to the bed, gesturing for Murdock to move over as much as he could.

"You sure we gotta go sleep, Face? We could stay up and tell scary stories, or exchange childhood memories. Like, once there was this time when I-""Yes Murdock, I've got to sleep. I've got to get up early and get out of here." He said as he got into the bed, trying not to look as awkward as he felt, and only half succeeding. He lay down on his side with his back to the pilot, as close to the edge of the mattress as he could get without falling off.

"Can I come?" Murdock asked, voice quieter, and Face could feel that he was looking at him.

"Not this time, okay?" He replied, voice soft and apologetic, and he swore he heard the pilot sigh before the bed moved as he lay down, on his side, with his back to Face. Even on the small bed there was nearly enough space between them to fit another person.

Face was having nightmares.

It was still dark when Murdock had been woken up again by the sounds of whimpers and shaky breathing. It took a moment to realise that it hadn't been himself making the noises, but when he did he turned his head to look over at the other occupant of the bed. Face was still on his side, but was unnaturally stiff, and even though Murdock couldn't see his face he knew it would be drawn in upset or fear.

None of the A-team were immune to frequent nightmares; with their lifestyle and all they had seen it was really only natural, but that didn't make them any easier to deal with. Even the toughest of them had woken up with grim faces and wet cheeks.

Murdock slowly turned over, a frown flitting across his face as the other man murmured a watery 'No…please.' Gently he put a concerned hand on Face's shoulder, feeling the tensed muscles under his palm.

"Hey…Face…wake up." He whispered, shaking him a little. At first he didn't respond, but after a moment the conman turned over, startling Murdock by pressing up against him and clinging tight, forehead against the pilot's collar so he couldn't tell if he was awake or not. His breathing was still shaky and ragged, and Murdock slowly put an arm around him, brows drawn together a little in concern and uncertainty. After a while, Face relaxed again, and Murdock figured that he must have still been asleep and didn't try to pull away, not wanting to wake him.

He found it difficult to get back to sleep, very aware of the warm body pressed up against him, but eventually he managed to doze off, face half buried in the other man's blond hair. He didn't rest long, though, brought around when Face started to move, the conman drawing back a little and frowning sleepily in confusion.

"Murdock?" He murmured, not realising that he still had one hand resting on the pilot's chest whilst the other rubbed at his face. He just seemed confused at their changed in position at that point, not embarrassed by how close they were.

"You were having bad dreams, muchacho." Murdock told him with a sympathetic smile.

"Oh…sorry." Face mumbled, trying to move away back to his side of the bed, and looking surprised when the pilot's arm stopped him, and he looked at him with a curious frown.

"You could have the bad dreams again." He said, but loosened his arm in case Face still wanted to move away. But the conman just blinked slowly then nodded, finally starting to look a bit embarrassed about the situation and quickly ducked his head again. He knew he should pull away, he was awake and aware of their position now, but it was so nice and warm, and comforting. The nightmares were still running around his head, but the strong heartbeat he could hear and the firm arm around his back was a pleasant distraction.

There was something inherently wrong with the situation, he recognised that. It was Murdock, and Murdock was a man, and Face was a strong, heterosexual male. But at that point, he had the choice between the cold, uncomfortable edge of the bed with not enough covers or pillow, or the warm, pleasant, centre of the bed where they both seemed to fit just fine. It was a no-brainer as far as he was concerned. And even the things he expected to be put off by; the hard muscles , the flat chest, and the coarse hair that covered it, along with the strong male smell, all of it was just pleasantly familiar and reassuring.

Murdock felt Face relax back against him and smiled in relief. He found he liked the feel of the other male in his arms, and thought he fit just right. And besides, the bed seemed to have plenty of room when they weren't avoiding touching each other like one of them had a communicable disease.

But despite being pleased with the situation, the pilot was now finding it difficult to get back to sleep, and he could tell from Face's breathing that he wasn't sleeping yet either.

It started off as just small movement, things that could be taken for accidental. Face shifted briefly as though to get comfortable, and Murdock resettled his arm around him, moving just a little more than needed. Face ran one hand briefly up over the pilot's chest, Murdock ducked his head to nose against the conman's hair. Face slowly put an arm around Murdock's back, pressing closer, Murdock put one leg half over blond's.

Finally Face lifted his head to look up at the pilot, blue eyes meeting brown, and they read each other silently for more than a few moments. Murdock made the move, mouth stopping just shy of Face's to give him chance to pull away, and then closing the distance when he didn't.

Face had wanted the kiss, but when their lips met it still caught him off-guard. Murdock was a man, this wasn't supposed to happen! And even if he had decided to visit that side of the fence, this was Murdock! A man that was just as likely to draw up blueprint to a makeshift helicopter as he was to rub soup into his hair.

But it was good, he couldn't say it wasn't. It was different, definitely, especially since Murdock was taking the lead and Face had never imagined being submissive before, but it wasn't bad. And after he'd adjusted to the differences he found himself enjoying it, so much so he let out a small protesting noise when Murdock pulled back after only a few moments.

Again their eyes met, judging reactions and considering how to proceed, before they came together again, harder and more certain. Face felt light pressure against his shoulder, and barely registered moving onto his back as the kiss gained heat. He took advantage of his freed arms, however, and wrapped them up around the pilot's neck, pressing up against him. He opened his mouth when he felt a warm tongue touch his lips, inhaling sharply through is nose as the kiss deepened.

Murdock was half over the blond, propping himself up on one arm whilst the other was free to run over Face's chest and stomach. His fingers reached the waist of the pyjama pants before running back up over his side under the vest, fabric catching on his wrist. Face's body was hard and far more angular than a woman's, but Murdock wasn't put-off in the slightest, and found the differences exciting and new. And the small noises the conman was making sent tingles down his spine.

Eventually the need for air broke the kiss, and both of them were panting. Face was flushed, and it got deeper as he looked up at Murdock, who just looked very pleased with the entire situation.

Thankfully, Murdock didn't say anything to break the mood, and just when it looked like he was going to Face reached up and pulled his head down for another hasty kiss.

At some point their vests disappeared, impatiently tugged off and discarded somewhere on the floor and forgotten. Face ran his hand over the hair that covered Murdock's chest with fascination, getting so distracted that he jumped a little when the pilot nipped at his lower lip for being unresponsive. His blush returned full-force and he quickly pulled Murdock down so their chests were touching and kissed him firmly again.

When Murdock's hand brushed boldly over his groin, Face let out a low surprised moan, hips shifting. His body was hot and sparks of pleasure erupted wherever fingertips ran over his skin. A louder moan was muffled against the pilot's mouth when his hand slipped inside of the pyjama pants and ran teasing touches over the heated skin. Face could tell Murdock was smiling, and would have been grinning if he could, but he was long past caring, arching up into the touches.

The conman broke the kiss to murmur a frustrated, "Nnngh, come on!" when Murdock did little more than tease him, regarding his cheeky grin with narrowed eyes before grabbing a good tuft of the pilot's chest hair and yanking none too gently. He'd never experienced it himself, but Face was willing to bet it hurt like hell, and if Murdock's gritted teeth were anything to go by, he was correct.

The childish hurt look Murdock gave him was countered with a smirk, hand flattening to run over the pilot's chest to placate him and eventually he stopped looking petulant in favour of connecting their mouths again. Murdock's hand resumed teasing the blond for a short while longer before he finally pushed the pants down off his hips and halfway down his legs, Face letting out a low pleased noise that was followed by a surprised groan when the pilot curled his fingers around his erection. There was no hesitation in the action, nor was there any falter as he started to slowly stroke him.

Face slipped a hand up into Murdock's hair as he was driven to distraction by his hand, eventually breaking the kiss to breathe but lifting his free hand to his mouth to bite the knuckle of one finger to stifle his moans. The last thing he wanted at that moment was the damned nurse investigating any more suspicious noises.

His head fell back as he panted, eyes shut, and he turned his hand to press the side of his fist to his mouth as his release got closer and his groans were getting harder to suppress. Not that Murdock was helping in the slightest, using both hands to pleasure him, and using tricks that very few women he'd encountered knew about.

When he finally hit his peak his hand was pressed so hard to his mouth it felt like he was either going to split his lip or crack his teeth, and as the pleasure flowed through him he couldn't even tell if he was making a noise or not. He doubted that he would have even noticed if he'd cried out Murdock's name. But as his released ebbed and he came back down to reality his back stiffened in alarm, and he looked with wide eyes at the pilot.

"Quiet as a stuffed mouse, muchacho." Murdock grinned, immediately realising what Face's alarmed look was all about. The conman relaxed in relief and allowed himself to melt back into the mattress, enjoying the afterglow. He appreciated Murdock reaching for one of the discarded vests to clean up with, but blinked at the prominent erection that pressed against his stomach as the pilot leaned over him. He was immediately overcome with awkwardness and uncertainly, especially since he was thinking with his head again now. Did Murdock expect him to…? He guessed it was only polite, but…

He pushed himself up into a sitting position after the pilot had thrown the dirty vest back on the floor, too distracted to be pleased about the surprised look Murdock had at finding Face so close. He slipped his fingers into the pilot's hair again and pulled him in for a kiss. His other hand went for Murdock's pants with all the grace of a fumbling teenager, and he was almost relieved at the strong fingers that closed around his wrist and pulled him away.

"But-" He started, but stopped when Murdock shook his head, grinning a little and not looking bothered.

"You gotta get up early, right?" He said, pushing Face to lie down again, and the blond didn't argue. He was understandably tired.

"You sure?" He asked uncertainly as Murdock lay down next time him, the pilot staying on his back so Face moved to press against his side, head resting on his shoulder. He didn't entirely buy Murdock's affirmative noise, but his body was already relaxing to sleep, and the pilot slipping his fingers into his hair didn't help any. Before he knew it, the conman had fallen back into an easy sleep and Murdock was content to count the ceiling tiles until he finally managed to drift off.

Face woke just after dawn, just when the day was starting to get bright. He didn't like doing it, but he'd had lots of practice with getting up when he had to and going when he needed to.

At first he was content not to take in his surroundings and just lie in a comfortable post-sleep stupor, but eventually reality started invading his senses. The first thing his noticed was the way his pillow was moving up and down in a slow rhythm, and how his fingers were curled in something coarse, and after a few moments he realised where he was and remembered what had happened the night before. He was blushing hotly before he could even start to process how to proceed and what it all meant.

Fortunately Murdock remained asleep, face relaxed and turned towards the other man. Slowly Face tried to draw away, and managed to make it out of the bed without waking the pilot. He quickly threw on his clothes from the day before, thoughts racing frantically around his head. He glanced repeatedly over at the sleeping man, but after he'd dressed and splashed his face with cold water from the sink he was able to think a bit more clearly.

It was just an accident of circumstance, that was all, and Face wasn't going to lie and say that he hadn't enjoyed it, or even hadn't wanted. Or that he wouldn't want to do it again. He just hoped that Murdock wouldn't read too much into it, or, God forbid, mention it to Hannibal and BA. He was sure he wouldn't, but reassured himself that even if Murdock did say something, he could just deny it and they would just think he was making it up.

He had to go soon, and Murdock still wasn't awake, but he didn't want to leave without saying good bye. He went over to the bed to wake up the pilot, lightly putting a hand on his bare shoulder and shaking him a little.

"Hey, Murdock." He called quietly, trying not to smile at just how adorable the pilot looked as he woke up, looking dishevelled and disorientated, "I've got to go now, buddy." He said when the pilot finally focussed on him. Murdock stared at him as though he'd grown a second head for a few long moments before rolling over onto his side away from Face, wrapping up in covers.

"Mmm…kay. Bye." He dismissed sleepily, obviously planning to go right back to sleep. Face laughed softly, nodding to himself. That had been a lot less eventful than he'd expected. He didn't know if he was disappointed or relieved.

He turned to go to the window and was halfway there when Murdock spoke up again, sounding like he was trying to stay awake.

"Face…wait…" He murmured, and the conman turned to look over, looking amused when he saw the pilot had one arm hanging off the bed and was listlessly beckoning him back over. Obligingly he went back, looking curious as Murdock managed to get himself up on one elbow.

"What is it?" Face asked, leaning in when Murdock waved a hand for him to come closer. Once he was within reach, Murdock hooked his hand around the back of the blond's neck and pulled him down into a brief kiss. It was short and sweet and once they pulled apart the pilot lay back down again with a yawn.

"Sleepover again…was fun." The pilot told him, snuggling into the pillow as Face tried to compose himself again, the conman coughing a little and fixing his tie as he stepped back.

"Uh…sure…" he agreed, letting out a calming breath before going back to the window, "See you later, Murdock." He said as he opened the window and started climbing out, but the pilot had already fallen back to sleep. Silently, Face shut the window and fixed the mesh back in place, hoping that Hannibal and BA wouldn't ask too many questions about where and how he'd spent his night on the run.


End file.
